


Firewatch

by Storm_Louise



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storm_Louise/pseuds/Storm_Louise
Summary: Lance loved to spend hours in the forest, being a fire spotter was a bonus. But this run season changes things up for everyone.
Kudos: 9





	1. Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the video game Firewatch, but there are no spoilers for anything in here, its just a bit of fun

It had been a long summer, Lance was in charge of a whole area called Blue Lion ridge. A huge canyon cut his area in half, a single rope bridge connected the land. Days were long in this isolated part of the national park, but they were peaceful. 

Occasionally Lance got a call from Allura, she was the regional manager, her tower stood on Castle Point, the highest ridge, from there she could see the whole park. Lance hadn't seen anyone from the firewatch team since the start of the season. 

He looked over at the pin board which hung above his desk, a photograph of the team and him hung there. From left to right was Allura and her Uncle Coran, who is the fire marshal. Next to them is Shiro, he's a rescue helicopter pilot. His arm is slung over the park Ranger's shoulder, Keith. 

Lance smirked at Keith, they had some kind of rivalry going on but it was nice. Next to them was Lance himself, over his shoulders was the arm of Hunk, one of the local firefighters. And in the front, dressed in her first responders uniform is Pidge. She was pulling a silly face but she was all business when things got serious. 

This photo was from last season. They always take a picture at the end of each season, to mark another successful year of not burning the entire forest down.

* *

The hours seemed to drag by, the sun hung in the sky practically unmoving. Lance was laying on the floor reading when his radio sparked up. "Lance? Lance do you read me, over." Lance rolled over and jumped up, reaching his base radio and answering. "I read you, over." 

Lance turned to face Castle Point, it was very distant but it sat like a glimmering stone atop the ridge. "You've got smoke in zone 4, do you copy, over?" Lance turned to his map to find zone 4 and then turned to look out of the appropriate window. Smoke, a thin line traced up into the sky. "I copy, do you want me to investigate, over?" He already knew the answer, he started to get ready when Allura replied "Copy, take your handheld and radio me when you're within sight, I wanna know if I need to call the guys in, over." Lance pulled his boots on and confirmed his instructions. "Copy, leaving base now, over."

Lance opened his backpack and double checked he had all his rope, his pitons, his small axe, some water, his first aid kit and a granola bar. Shouldering his backpack he grabbed his handheld radio and clipped it to his belt, he then exited the tower and made his way down the stairs which wrapped around the tower. At the base Lance stepped down and pulled out his compass to reorient himself and then started off to find the source of the smoke.

He walked for some time, taking in the trees and light, snapping a few pictures on his way until finally he reached a campsite and the source of the fire. He pulled his radio off his belt cilp and spoke. "Allura, I'm at the source if the smoke, over." He took a few tentative steps into the the camp ground when Allura replied. "What's the source, over." Lance replied, walking over to the fire. 

"A campfire, it's only smouldering, over." He kicked dirt and put out the final embers. That's when the campers returned. "Got civilians, they're probably responsible for the fire, over." Allura confirmed, Lance kept his finger on the call button so Allura could hear him. The first camper was a tall man with long white blond hair. "What the fuck do you think you're doing man?" He yelled marching up to Lance.  
"I put your fire out, you know you're not supposed to have one."

"Oh yeah, who says? Not like anyone fucking cares about this shithole." Lance spoke calmly.  
"I'm in charge of this area, there are signs all along this trail which expressly say no open flames." Lance pointed down the path they had come from. "This is your first warning, if I catch you starting another fire, the park ranger will be informed and you will be asked to leave." That's when the man pushed Lance, who stummbed and fell backwards. "This is a public area mate you can't make me leave." That's when Allura spoke from the radio. 

"That's where you're wrong buddy, this is a national park, which means my colleague or a ranger have every right to ask you to leave." The man stepped back, but Allura wasn't done. "Lance sit tight, there's a ranger on his way to you." The campers looked worried, they started packing up but they weren't quick enough.

Keith's stepped out of his ranger truck and surveyed the situation, he saw Lance brushing his hands on his pants and then brushing his pants. Keith had been updated by Allura on his way there, the leader of the campers had pushed Lance over because Lance put their fire out. 

"Right, what's going on here?" The leader made his way over and started pointing at Lance. "This bloke is pretending to be a ranger and he put our fire out." Keith raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Lance were you pretending to be a ranger?" Lance shook his head and replied, "Course not, I don't get paid to be a ranger." 

Keith turned back to the man and then pointed to the shiny badge on his left laple. "I'm a ranger, see we have these nifty little badges that help folks like you recognise us. Lance over there is a fire spotter, and he's quite within his right to extinguish any fire he sees in his area. Like yours." 

The man didn't have anything to say, he just stood open mouthed. "If I get another call about you folks you'll be escorted out of the national park and issued with a seasonal ban, am I clear?" The campers all agreed and then they moved out of the area. Lance looked over at Keith and sighed, he hated being rescued by Keith, it made him feel like a kid.

"Guess you'll be off then?" Lance said looking at the now setting sun. Keith blew air through his nose and nodded. "Yeah, gotta get back to base incase of a real emergency." That comment struck a nerve with Lance who turned and walked off, back to his tower, Keith rolled his eyes and jumped back in his ranger truck and drove off, not giving Lance a second thought. 

* *

The next few nights were uneventful, Lance didn't see any smoke or people for nearly two weeks until, late one evening Lance heard a strange noise. The sound whistled and then came a pop followed by crackling. Lance sat up in time to watch the next one. Fireworks. Someone was setting off fireworks.

As quickly as he could he threw his clothes on and grabbed his bag calling Allura as he made his way down the stairs. "Fireworks in area 3, going to check it out, over." Allura didn't reply for a few minutes.

"Copy, I see them, calling backup for you, over." Lance swore under his breath, he didn't need Keith to coddle him. Lance nearly ran most of the way, his torch beam swinging wildly as he made his way over logs and past the overgrown bushes until he approached a clearing.

Area 3 was right on the edge of the canyon, there were few trees here but plenty of lose rock. Lance paused, scanning the edge of the canyon, looking for more fireworks. He saw one whiz up, he followed the smoke trail back down and found the source. The same group of campers had come back. They were drinking and setting off fireworks, loud music blared and they dances dangerously close to the edge of the canyon.

"Oi, stop the fireworks!" He called but they couldn't hear him. "Allura, its the same people from last time, they're by the canyon, 'bout a mile from the bridge, over." Lance kept walking towards the group his torch still on. "Copy, Keith just passed the bridge, he'll be with you shortly, over." Lance confirmed but kept walking, another firework shot up. 

Lance called out again. "Stop the fireworks, now!" This time the group heard him, the music was turned down and the leader approached Lance. The whole area stank of alcohol, and the man swayed as he spoke. "You need to fuck off now, or something bad might happen." Lance swallowed thickly but shook his head.

"No, I have a duty to protect the national park from dicks like you." That was it, the man launched at Lance. They scuffled for a minute before the man threw a punch, and Lance was thrown to the ground. The world spun for a minute before the man grabbed him again.


	2. The Fire

He lifted Lance up and punched him again, Lance fell and rolled, the ground tipped, he was going over the edge. The girls who there screamed as Lance fought to stay on the ledge but it was no use, he grabbed the edge, he was dangling over a sheer drop. 

That's when Keith's truck pulled up. Lance saw several beams wash over the part spot before Keith called out. "Lance?" Lance shifted his grip and called out. "Keith, over here, quick!" Keith ran to the edge and found Lance hanging from it. He grabbed Lance's hands and pulled him up. Once on solid ground Lance laid down, his face throbbed and his hands were all cut up from hanging on the ledge. 

Keith checked Lance's vision and then told him to stay still, he stood up and pointed at the leader. "You're leaving." He said flatly, the man started to protest but then a bigger man got in front of him. Shiro had been with Keith when the call had gone out, so he'd come along. Shiro helped Keith take the partiers out of the park and issued them with a ban. 

They returned to the location where Keith was able to better assess Lance's injuries. "Its not that bad." He pressed a cold pack to Lance's eye and had Shiro bandage his hands. "Come on, we'll give you a lift." Lance nodded and climbed on the truck. He would have to come back out tomorrow to clean up anyway. They dropped Lance at his tower before heading back home, Lance made his way groggily up the stairs where he collapsed in his bed full clothed.

It wasn't until the sun was beaming through the windows that Lance finally got up, he brushed his teeth and wandered back to the site to clean up the drink cans and the firework remains. It was boring work but it needed to be done, Lance kept rubbing his head, the bruise he had gotten from that punch really hurt. 

He was distracted by it until he heard Allura. "Hey Lance, how's your head? Keith told me you took a blow last night, over." Lance sighed and sat on a rock looking out over the canyon. "Yeah, it's nothing, the man was drunk and didn't like being told he couldn't shoot of any more fireworks. I'm fine, over."

* *

The next few weeks seemed to drag even more than usual. The forest eventually caught fire, the ground was too dry and the sun too hot, no one was at fault. Lance watched the fire from his window, it was a few hundred miles away, a different area altogether. 

Still it could spread towards him if the wind changed, but he'd have a few days notice before that. Keith was out on duty everyday now, not only as a ranger but as a firefighter, doing pre burns to control the spread of the fire. It wasn't big enough for them to put it out so they just had to let it burn.

One night, while watching the fire Allura radioed him. "How does the fire look on your end Lance, over." Lance sighed and replied. "Like the forest is glowing, like the tree have turned into streetlamps." He looked up towards Allura's Tower, her light was on. "How does it look to you, over." 

There was a long silence from Allura, Lance was almost certain she wasn't going to reply. "It looks like hell, Lance. I can see the fire burn, I can see where it's burnt and I can see where it'll go to burn. It's eating up the forest but it'll never be full. Anyway, goodnight." Lance grabbed his handheld but didn't reply, he simply put the radio down and went to bed.

* *

It wasn't until Lance smelt smoke that he woke up, he started coughing, the windows were white and he could see embers flying all around outside. He grabbed his radio and called out. "Allura what's happening?" He even forgot to say 'over'. 

"Lance? Where are you? Over." Lance was packing his bag but he grabbed his radio and answered. "In the tower, why?" He heard Allura swear and she kicked something. 

"Damn it, they said they'd evac'd you. They tired to do a controlled burn at about 2am but the fire reached them too quickly, the controlled burn was absorbed into the fire and its spreading more quickly now. You need to get to the bridge, from there I'll give you instructions. Over." 

Lance's stomach dropped, he looked around his room to make sure he had everything, he wouldn't be coming back. He grabbed a bandana from his backpack and tied it over his mouth, hopefully, it would keep some of the smoke out.

Lance ran down the stairs but he could hear something, a roar, it crackled and it popped and it glowed. He turned to face the fire as it reached out to him, Lance yelped and jumped down the stairs two steps at a time. He couldn't find his bareings, white smoke and ash blocked his vision. He grabbed his compass and his map and used them almost exclusively to find his way. 

Everything looked different covered in ash, the scenery melted away into a grayscaled version of itself. Lance tripped a few times and got turned around too much, he was taking too long and he knew it. The heat of the fire grew hotter, he needed to cross the bridge now.

That's when the fire surprised him, he turned around a corner, a cliff had been protecting him but now he was face to face with the raging beast. It jumped towards him and licked his left arm, Lance screamed and dropped the map, which curled on itself and withered away. Lance's sleave melted and his flesh pealed back but he needed to keep moving. 

He picked up his compass and turned back, he ran and ran until the smoke started to clear and then he saw the bridge in the distance, he needed to keep his pace, the fire chased him but Lance made it. He didn't stop running, the fire wouldn't let him get away so easy. Once on the other side of the canyon he radioed Allura. 

"I made it across the bridge Allura, where next? Over." Allura took a minute to reply. "Head for the river, there's a ranger waiting there for you, they'll take you to the pick up point. Get to the river Lance." Lance knew that the river was a straight shot down from the canyon. He kept going, he knew that the fire would find a way to jump the canyon if it hadn't already.

Lance's lungs were burning, he had probably inhaled a bit of smoke and ash and he had been running a lot. Just as Lance began to slow down he spotted something shimmering in the distance, water. He picked up his pace, the heat of the fire had caught up with him. 

To confirm his suspicions Allura radioed with an update. "Lance you need to move faster, the fire has crossed the canyon, the ranger can't wait any longer, you need to run." Allura didn't expect a response and Lance wasn't going to give her one, he was too busy running from a forest fire. 

Lance made it to the river but he couldn't see a ranger or a truck. "Allura, I'm at the river where's this ranger? Over." There was only silence from her end, Lance could feel tears welling up in his eyes, they had left him. Then from behind he heard and engine and honking. He turned to see Keith driving towards him, he slowed and yelled at Lance to get in. Hunk, a firefighter, was in the passenger seat. 

Hunk helped Lance climb in, his arm was starting to bother him now that the adrenaline was wearing off. It was hot and cold and it burned and it stung and Lance started to whimper, tears falling softly from his eyes. 

It was slowly becoming agony, the skin had blistered and was red raw, his shirt had burnt away but had also melted into his arm a bit. 

They got to the evac point in no time, a helicopter was waiting for them, all the roads out where blocked off, this was their only escape.


	3. The Aftermath

The helicopter flew them outside the park, there was a huge clearing where they landed, this was where folks parked their cars, it used to be part of the forest but the trees were cut to keep fires from spreading towards populated areas. 

It was in the helicopter that Keith noticed Lance's arm, he began to panic, it looked really bad. He had Shiro radio ahead for a medic to be waiting for them at the landing zone. 

Shiro threw his helmet off the moment they had landed, he jumped out and ran round the side, throwing the doors open Hunk grabbed Lance and helped him into Shiro's arms, Pidge stood nearby waiting, medkit in hand.

They sat Lance down and Pidge began to wrap Lance is wet bandages. Lance winced as each layer was applied, it hurt more now that the burns were being covered. Sirens approached from the distance, Pidge was a first responder so only had a motorbike, Lance needed an ambulance. 

Pidge updated the paramedics while Hunk and Keith helped Lance into the ambulance. "We'll meet you at the hospital, once we make sure that everyone got out, okay?" Lance was delirious, Pidge had given him something for the pain, he nodded and laid down, falling unconscious near immediately.

When Lance woke up he was in the hospital, his clothes were different, a medical gown, he looked at his arm, still covered in wet bandages, it didn't hurt so much now though. He rested back into the pillows and slept. 

It was a restless sleep, all the panic and pain of the day hung with him, his mind went back to the fire. The orange and red flames that licked his skin, the smoke and ash that choked him, he saw death and had lived. Lance woke with a start, the dream already fading, he was still alone, it was dark now, his bandages had been changed.

* *

Lance spent the next month at the hospital, there was nothing they could do for his arm, third degree burns covered 90% of it. He could still use his hand and all his joints bent but the skin would permanently be marked by that fire. He was treated to several unpaid sessions of therapy before they allowed him to be released. 

As he exited the hospital, the team stood waiting by a van. They looked awkward but they all smiled when they saw Lance. "Sorry we didn't visit sooner. That fire was wack." Allura said as she pulled Lance into a hug, she often used slang with little recourse in its meaning, but this time, she got it right. 

Lance pulled away and laughed, his arm was in a sling even though he could use it, the skin was still very tender. "It's fine, I was following the fire on the news, I knew you'd only come when it was safe. Besides, I'm only a volunteer fire spotter."

This is when Keith spoke up. "Volunteer or not, you keep the national park safe, you help keep others safe. It's no small feat, protecting something that's not yourself. Come on, let's go get a drink and some food, bet you're sick of the hospital stuff?" Lance laughed and nodded, they were right of course, he had been fearless that day, and he had been the only person injured at all during that forest fire. 

They laughed, they joked, they ate good food but they all knew that this might be the last time they saw Lance, so they were going to enjoy it.

One year later.

Summer was just around the corner, temperatures were already starting to rise and the forest was again at risk of fires. 

Keith sat in the unairconditioned Ranger Cabin with an empty sheet of paper asking for Firewatch volunteers. He was practically asleep when he felt the piece of paper move and he heard someone writing. 

He blinked a few times and looked up at the person, the sun was just setting so he was blinded for a moment but then the figure stepped back. 

It was Lance, he was smiling. 

Keith looked down at his sheet and saw that Lance had signed up. "Surprised to see me?" Lance said after a minute of just eye contact. 

Keith shook his head before trying to talk. "I didn't think you'd be back after last summer?" Lance laughed and shook his head, there was a twinkle in his eye. 

"You can't get rid of me that easily." And then Lance left, leaving Keith to stare after him. The forest would be in safe hands this summer, Keith knew it.


End file.
